Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Medium Format / Film / Digital Backs – and Large Sensor Photography => Topic started by: Michael Erlewine on October 13, 2024, 12:31:09 pm
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Hasselblad XCD 20-35mm f/3.2-4.5 E
I had to see for myself, and it was with bated breath that I waited to get my hands on the new Hasselblad XCD Zoom 20-35 f/3.2 lens. And finally, the UPS truck pulled up in front of our house and there was the lens.
I had waited for months and read everything written about this lens, most of it not that helpful, just a recital of facts about the lens, but little to know real experience. The sole exception was a deep dive by landscape expert Lloyd Chambers in is blog, which was behind a pay wall. Of course, I had to go behind that wall to get real in-depth experience with using the XCD 20-35 Zoom lens out in the wild.
Hasselblad XCD 35-75mm f/3.5-4.5 Lens
And I should mention that Lloyd Chambers at https://diglloyd.com/ has a treasure trove of expert information available on photography, more like a university worth, a college of photographic training. I find this level of coverage almost no where else.
Needless to say, Chambers got right into the new 20-35 lens, warts and all, and then compared it to offerings from the Fujifilm GF 20-35/f4, and the Hasselblad XCD 30mm and 21mm lenses, and spared no one in his analysis of the group.
Chamber’s conclusion, and I quote was “The Hasselblad XCD 20-35/3.2-4.5 at 20mm on a 3D scene like this impresses with a gorgeous rendering with terrific color, sharpness, bokeh. I really want this lens! I can’t get this with the Fujifilm GF 20-35mm f/4.”
I don’t hear that enthusiasm for a lens from Chambers often.
As for me, I am less demanding and the only landscape I am interested in is mid-distanced landscapes and everything nearer.
I am impressed by several things. The fact that the close-focus distance is 12-inches allows me to get really close to a flower or an insect and pull the critter out with a cropped image. And here is an example.
More interesting to me is a quick image from our kitchen that makes clear to me that I’m going to love this lens. And as they say about the earlier Hasselblad zoom (Hasselblad XCD 35-75mm f/3.5-4.5 Lens), which I also have, that it is a ‘Prime Zoom’ meaning it’s a zoom that is of ‘prime’ caliber, and I agree.
In that case, this new zoom is the same, a zoom with pristine or prime sharpness and quality. For sure, it will stay on my X2D and replace a handful of other lenses. And it means I don’t have to change the lens as often out in the field. The X2D is notorious for collecting dust-bunnies by lens changing in the field.
Anyway, tests with the is new Hasselblad XCD Zoom 20-35 f/3.2 I have still to do, but so far: fantastic!
I had hoped it could be this good and it is. I use the XCD 21mm a lot and THAT is an incredible lens. It looks to me that this new zoom is just as good. Wow!
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Dang, that shot of the kitchen!!!
Curious, what f/stop?
Jack
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Had a chance to see this lens at Samys in LA. Was not at all interested in but it wasn't so big, so thought to take a couple of shots.
Took them at 20mm and 35mm, iso 400. the wider one was f5.6, 1/50, and 35mm f11 at 1/20. While the edges get a bit soft, that's due to lack of DOF, not the lens. Its quite sharp and vertical lines show little (or no) distortion. Color me impressed.
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Had a chance to see this lens at Samys in LA. Was not at all interested in but it wasn't so big, so thought to take a couple of shots.
Took them at 20mm and 35mm, iso 400. the wider one was f5.6, 1/50, and 35mm f11 at 1/20. While the edges get a bit soft, that's due to lack of DOF, not the lens. Its quite sharp and vertical lines show little (or no) distortion. Color me impressed.
And if you compare the results to the same shot with the 25V and 38V lenses, you'll see very little, if any observable difference.
Steve Hendrix/CI